after that period the rule of law was applied a little bit more broadly. not necessarily for any other reason, other than making sure that they would be no new entrants to this kind of special club. >> in the western press during this crisis or uprising in syria, it was always described as the commercial center of the country. tell us about that activity. >> for several hundred years, if not more, it was basically sort of the meeting point between europe and asia. and has always developed, was developed as a center of trade and commerce. that continued, of course throughout the centuries into the 20th century, and made it what it is in terms of its trade, in terms of its trade potential. now, it's also larger than the capital, damascus, not by much but it's a very large city. it's not just the second city. so has been a place where many traders and manufacturers as well preferred because it was historically quite a vibrant or because it was far away from the center where they might have a bit more freedom, even though that margin of freedom was not wide. >